How THE CHOSEN Actor’s Disability Influenced His On-Screen Character
By Movieguide® Contributor
Jordan Walker Ross plays Little James in THE CHOSEN and, like his character, was born with a disability.
In a recent video, Ross revealed that he was born with cerebral palsy and scoliosis.
“When [showrunner] Dallas [Jenkins] came to me and asked if we could make my own disability part of the character, that was exciting and scary at the same time,” he explained, adding that it gave depth to Little James’ character.
“All of a sudden, Little James has a little more to his story than he initially did. He’s no longer just this happy little helper,” Ross explained. “You see that there’s a little more going on under the surface.”
He admitted that it was “scary, knowing that I would be shining a light on the thing I was most insecure about,” sharing that he was often bullied at school for his disability.
“I felt like I was given this gift and this passion for acting for a reason,” Ross said. “But then I felt like I was given a curse at the same time that would prevent me from ever realizing my potential as an actor.”
By choosing to talk about his disability on screen through his role in THE CHOSEN, Ross said he felt more confident discussing it in real life.
“At this point in my life, I wouldn’t want to be healed,” Ross said. “It’s almost a responsibility to use this to help others,” adding, “If [my friends and family] can love and accept me as I am, then why can’t I love and accept myself?”
He concluded, “It’s just about learning to love those things about yourself that you would love in someone else.”
THE CHOSEN is very popular with audiences and have even aired some of the show’s episodes in movie theaters. A portion of Movieguide®’s review of the Season 3 finale of THE CHOSEN reads:
THE CHOSEN SEASON 3 FINALE has some of the most spectacular, dramatic scenes of the whole series. It includes the feeding of the 5,000 and the incident where Jesus walks on the water to the apostles, whose boat is being pummeled by a storm on the Sea of Galilee. The finale also includes many inspiring insights by Jesus taken directly from Scripture, including Chapter 11 of Matthew’s gospel. The performances in THE CHOSEN, in the Season 3 finale, continue to be superb.
